On The Run
by Melrian Windrunner
Summary: Jonathan is forced to run from authorities when an accident exposes him as a mutant. (The story is better than it sounds).
1. Prologue

Hello, my name is Jonathan. I'm a senior at Desert Butte High School in Arizona. I'm just your average teenage kid, and I can gladly say that there is absolutely nothing abnormal about me...Who am I kidding?

I am actually a mutant with two unique mutations. First off, my body holds an immense amount of static electricity, so much in fact that it overflows and completely coats the outside, creating a sort of force-field in the process. The electricity, if unchecked, will also lance out to anything that can absorb static electricity within ten meters. To prevent this, I wear all rubber clothing, as it can't pass through rubber. You might then wonder about my head, which I can't keep covered 24/7, especially since I have to deal with school. That's where my other mutation comes in. I can manipulate anything with just my mind, in other words, I have telekinesis. I can use it to keep the electricity that covers my head in check. So far, I have managed to keep my mutations secret from everyone I know (besides my parents). Unfortunately, my luck was about to run out.

My story begins on a typical Wednesday at my school. I took the bus like I do every day, and I arrive there about an hour and a half before my first class (I have no idea why the bus schedule is so stupid). As usual, I go into the library to meet my friends.

"Hey," I said tiredly.

"Hey," came the response.

I then sat down, and we all began to play Poker. After a while, the bell rang, signalling that it was time to go to class.

My first class was weight training. Before we are allowed to go into the weight room, we have to get changed into workout clothes. My workout clothes consist of sweat pants and a long sleeve shirt over my rubber clothes (yes, it does get very uncomfortable, especially since I'm living in Arizona). After dressing out, I proceeded to run towards the door (there is barely enough time to dress out and get to the weight room before the bell rings again), and failed to notice a wet floor sign. I subsequently slipped, slamming my face against the ground. The last thing I heard before unconsciousness swept over me was a loud crackling sound, followed by screams of agony.

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**So, this is my first ever story told from a first person view. I hope it is up to standards. This is so short because it's merely a prologue. The other chapters should be much longer when the come out.**

**By the way, just on the off chance that anyone who's read my other story is reading this, don't worry, I haven't forsaken it. I've just contracted a mild case of Writer's Block.**


	2. Chapter 1

**I am so SOOOO sorry for taking so long. It's my fault. I've had the next four chapters written, I've just been procrastinating about typing them up and posting them. Anyways, here they are.**

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I woke up to find electricity arcing from my head in all directions. Quickly, I forced the static back down underneath my skin. As I stood up, I surveyed the damage I had done. All of the others who had been in the room were on the ground, unmoving. All of the lights were out, the window to the coaches' office was shattered, and the computers within were sparking. Suddenly, I heard a groan coming from the coaches' office. Hopping through the window, I discovered Coach Blair conscious on the ground.

"Coach Blair, are you okay?" I asked, rushing over to him.

He looked at me, and his eyes grew wide. "G-get away from me!" he said, trying to back away.

"Coach," I said, my voice soft. "It's just me, Jonathan."

"Don't come near me you freak!"

"What happened here?!" a voice boomed in the locker room.

"Over here!" I shouted without thinking.

Two of the high school security guards rushed into the office, lightly shoving me out of the way to get to Blair.

"What happened?" one of them asked.

Coach Blair pointed in my direction with a shaky hand. "M-mutant," he stammered.

Slowly, the two turned towards me. "You did this?" one of them asked.

I quickly became very nervous as the direness of the situation hit me. "T-the floor was wet," I stammered, raising my hands in apprehension. "I-it was an accident. I-I never tried to h-hurt anyone."

Not listening, they both took out their batons, and one radioed for assistance.

"Please, don't do this," I said, tears coming to my eyes as I realized the inevitable outcome. As they approached, raising their weapons above their heads, I said, "I am so sorry." I then shed my gloves, stuck out my hands and shot electricity at them, sending them flying against the wall. Knowing that additional guards weren't far behind, I fled.

Once I was, what I assumed to be, a safe distance from the school, I pulled out my cell phone and called my mom. When she picked up the phone, I shakily told her, "Mom, I've been found out."

There was a pause. "How?" she asked. After I explained how everything happened, she asked, "Does your father know?"

"No, I was going to call him next."

"Hurry then. They might start monitoring our phone at any minute."

"Alright then."

"And remember," she said, her voice cracking. "You are not to come home for any reason."

"Okay," I said, my gloved hand shaking. "I love you mom."

"I love you too." She then hung up.

Quickly, I called my dad. Our conversation was very similar; him asking me how, then asking about mom, etc. Right after I hung up, a police car rounded the corner. "Damn!" I said, breaking into a run.

"Stop!" the police officer commanded, yelling into his megaphone. This only caused me to run faster. Silently, I urged my legs to give me more speed. Suddenly, I felt a jolt in my legs. In a couple of seconds, I found myself running faster than I thought possible. I looked back and discovered that the police car was rapidly diminishing into the distance. Looking where I was going again, I continued to run, not stopping for anything as I left my old life behind me.


	3. Chapter 2

I don't know how long I ran. It could have been hours, days even. I only knew that I had to keep running. As I ran, the landscape constantly changed. City turned to desert. Desert turned to mountains. Mountains to plains, plains to forest, forest back to city. When I finally stopped, I had no idea where I was. All I knew was I was in some kind of forest. As I looked around, everything that had happened crashed down on me. Subconsciously, I took out my rubber mask, put it on, and pulled up my hood right before I passed out.

When I woke up, I found myself in a cabin. Quickly, I reached for my face. I was relieved when I found that the mask was still there. Slowly, I sat up and placed it next to me.

"You're awake," a voice said.

I turned to face the source and discovered a somewhat attractive woman looking at me. She must have been in her late twenties. She was very slender, had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was holding a steaming bowl of soup in her hands. "Here," she said, offering it to me. "Be careful, it's hot."

Not wanting to be rude, I took it and politely began to eat. As I ate, I looked around the room. From what I could see, there was a couch in the room outside this one's door. To my right there was a small bathroom. In the room I was situated, there wasn't much other than the bed I sat on and a dresser placed against the wall.

The woman walked back in right as I finished my soup. "My name is Peera," she said with a smile as she sat down on the bed.

"Jonathan," I responded.

"What brings you to Canada?" she asked. You're obviously not from around here, if your accent is anything to go by."

I couldn't do anything to hide the shock that crossed my face. **_Canada_**_?! I ran all the way to Canada?!_

"I take it you didn't intend to end up here," Peera said.

"I don't know where I intended to end up," I replied quietly.

"I know it's probably none of my business," she began. "But did something happen with you?"

I didn't want to admit that I was a mutant. In fact, I had half a mind to tell her that she was right; it wasn't any of her business. But, there was something so comforting about her that caused everything to spill out water from a burst dam. When I finished, I said, "You probably think I'm a freak, don't you?"

Still smiling, she shook her head. "Every person has their own unique traits. Some of yours just tend to be a bit…extreme. Besides, if you're a freak because you have special abilities, then that makes me one as well." When she saw my look of surprise, she continued, "I can see auras around different people. Those without any special traits, or as you would call them, mutations, have a gray aura. Mutants have auras that correspond with their talents. Around you, I see electricity contained in a pink bubble. That's why I didn't remove your mask." After letting that sink in, she asked, "What do you plan to do now?"

I thought about that for a moment. Slowly, I said, "I suppose I'll have to find a job and a place to live."

"You could stay here," she offered.

Smiling, I shook my head. "You've done enough for me already." I then stood up. "I should probably get going."

"Well," she said, leading me out of the room. "I wish you luck. And remember, if you need anything, you can come back here at any time."


	4. Chapter 3

The directions Peera gave me led me to a small town. It seemed quiet enough. Some neighbours were sitting on a porch, kids were playing in a yard with their dog, etc. As I walked down the street, a man walked up to me. He wore a red plaid shirt over his well-built frame. His black hair was entirely unkempt, and his facial features could make the most grizzled drill sergeant look like a rookie. The only thing that kept me from walking as fast as I could in the opposite direction was the warm smile on his face.

"Hullo," he said extending his hand, which I grasped firmly. "I don't believe I've seen you around here before."

"I…just moved here," I lied.

"An American, eh?" he said. "What brings you all the way up here?"

I shrugged. "I guess I just wanted a change of pace. I'd heard that people in Canada tend to be nicer than the average American."

"You've got that right, no offense," he chuckled, slapping me on the back.

"None taken," I responded.

"Come on," he said, beckoning for me to follow him. "I want you to meet my family. What's your name by the way?"

"Jonathan," I said as I followed.

"Pleased to meet you. My name is William, but you can just call me Bill."

He led me to a nice looking two-story white house. On the porch, a brown haired woman sat with a baby cradled in her arms. When Bill and I walked up the porch steps, the woman stood up.

"Hello," she said, extending her free hand. "I'm Lynda." While she smiled at me, her eyes darted nervously towards Bill (who I presumed was her husband).

"I'm Jonathan," I said, grinning back, not letting her know that I noticed the look she gave Bill.

As Lynda sat down again, Bill and I took seats in wooden chairs placed on opposite sides of her.

"This lad just moved here from the states," Bill explained.

"Oh, very nice," Lynda said. "So, where do you live?"

When I didn't respond, Bill asked, "Do you even have a place to stay?" I shook my head. "Well then," he said, clapping his hands together. "You can stay with us!"

Lynda shot Bill a warning glance.

"No, it's okay," I said. "I don't to be any trouble."

"Nonsense!" Bill said, not noticing his wife. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all! We have a spare bedroom upstairs you can sleep in. I might even see about getting you a job working for me as a lumberjack."

"Bill," Lynda said sternly. "A word with you?"

"What?" Bill asked as he followed her inside.

I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I have very acute hearing, and they were having their conversation right by the front door.

"What are you doing?" Lynda demanded.

"I'm just trying to be nice."

"Do you even know who that boy is?" There was a pause. "He's the mutant from the news. The one that put twenty-three people in the hospital!"

"Lynda, you know that the news will show the worst side of any incident involving a mutant. For all we know, it could've easily been an accident. He seems like a good enough kid, he's certainly well-mannered."

"What if he has another 'accident'?"

"We'll just have to be careful." His voice suddenly turned soft. "Dear, try to imagine how he must be feeling. First, he accidentally injures all of those people…"

"That's assuming it was only an accident."

Ignoring her, he continued, "Which is a traumatic experience in and of itself. Then he is likely forced to run for his life from the police, and whatever else the government throws at him, leaving his family and friends behind. He's probably one of the loneliest people on the planet right now. So, please show some decency and at the very least give him a chance."

At this point, I just couldn't hold it back anymore. The levee had broken and tears began to flow freely. When Bill stepped outside again, and saw my tear-stained face, his smile turned into a look of sympathy. "How much did you hear?" he asked.

"All of it," I said. After a moment, I asked, "Do you think they'll be okay?"

"I think so," he replied.

When Lynda stepped outside, she opened her mouth, but before she could utter a single word, I said, "I really didn't try to hurt anyone. I slipped on a wet floor, slamming my head on the ground and I lost control. It truly was an accident." Wiping the tears from my face, I stood up. "I understand your worries about me, and I really don't want to harm anyone, especially anyone as generous as you. I should probably go now."

As I proceeded to walk down the steps, Lynda said, "No, please don't go,"

I stopped, but didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," she said. "It would be fine if you stayed with us. In fact, I insist that you do so."

Turning around, I asked, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, a smile touching her lips. "Of course."

"I would hug you, but I don't want to accidentally shock you."

"Speaking of which," Bill said, ushering us all inside. "What kind of powers do you have anyways?"


	5. Chapter 4

"You ever cut down a tree before?" Bill asked, looking in my direction. The two of us were in his red pickup, driving towards Bill's logging camp.

I shook my head. "There aren't many trees that need to be cut down in Arizona."

Bill guffawed. "Very good point there, mate! Well, there's always a first time for everything." As we pulled into a clearing filled with all kinds of logging equipment, he said, "We're here."

"Hey Bill!" someone called out as we got out of the truck. "Who's the kid?"

"Your new coworker!" Bill called back. "Everyone, stop what you're doing and get over here!"

Soon, Bill and I were surrounded by half a dozen other workers. "This is Jonathan. He just moved here from America."

"Hey," one said. "Isn't that the freak from the news?"

"I wouldn't call him a freak…" Bill tried to say, but was cut off as another demanded, "What did you bring him here for?!"

"Yeah," another agreed. "You should've brought him to the cops!"

"Want me to knock him out for ya?" yet another said, advancing on me as he cracked his knuckles.

Suddenly, a very large (not fat, just muscular) black man stepped in between me and him. "You want to get to him?" the black man said. "You have to go through me!"

"Luke," one of the other workers exclaimed. "Why are you defending the mutant?"

"Be quiet!" the larger man (who I assumed was Luke) bellowed. He then turned to me. "Did you try to hurt all those people?"

"N-no," I stammered.

"What happened then?"

Again, I began to recount my story. When I finished, Luke nodded before turning back to the other lumberjacks. "Any of you have a problem?" he asked menacingly.

They all reluctantly shook their heads.

Recovering his composure, Bill yelled, "All of you get back to work now!" He then thanked Luke before turning to me. "Are you alright?" When I nodded, he said, "Maybe bringing you here was a bad idea. How about we hop in the truck and I take you back home?"

So, he took me back to the house, where I stayed for the rest of the day.

**Late that night…**

Something had woken me up. I strained my ears, but all I could hear was Bill's snoring coming from across the hall. Still feeling that something wasn't quite right, I quickly got out of bed and began to put some clothes on (over the rubber ones I was already wearing of course).

After I zipped up my jacket, I heard it. From across the hall, I heard Lynda's tired voice asking, "What's going on?" right before two very soft thumps. Immediately, Bill's snoring ceased. Next, I heard the baby start to cry, only for her to be silenced by yet another thump.

Once I realized what was going on, I grabbed my wallet and slipped out into the hall. I peered around the corner and saw two men, all in black. They both wore infrared goggles and held rifles with silencers at the tips. Quickly, I took off my left glove and sent a zap of static into both of their goggles.

"Damn it!" I heard one of them say.

Taking advantage of their momentary blindness, I slipped downstairs, only to find another three armed men. Again, I zapped their goggles and slipped out the back door as quickly and quietly as I could.

In tears, I said a silent prayer for the family. Then, I ran into the woods, vowing never to turn back.

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**This is as much as I've got. Again, I am SOOO sorry for procrastinating for so long. Please don't hate me! Anyways, please tell me what you think (or even flame, as I probably deserve it) in the reviews, or in a PM.**


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